Many voters still undecided: George Yeo
By Cassandra Chew
FOREIGN Minister George Yeo said yesterday he believes many voters in Aljunied GRC are still undecided on who they will choose on May 7.
'It's still a tough battle,' he said when asked by reporters to give an assessment of the People's Action Party (PAP) campaign against the Workers' Party (WP) in Aljunied, six days into the hustings.
In fact, he said he met a voter yesterday who said he had never studied the election manifestos more carefully and extensively, to help him decide.
'I think this is good, because for there to be a good democracy, we need a population which is interested in the detailed issues,' said Mr Yeo, who is leading the PAP's five-member team in Aljunied.
He thought the level of maturity among voters today was 'the best so far', compared to previous elections.
This is because younger voters are better educated, better travelled, and participate fully in social media, where information is easily available, he said.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong also lent his support to Mr Yeo's team - comprising Cabinet minister Lim Hwee Hua, Mr Zainul Abidin Rasheed, Madam Cynthia Phua and new face Ong Ye Kung - at a walkabout in Kaki Bukit ward.
But Mr Yeo made it clear that the battle for hearts and minds was 'a battle that we have to fight for ourselves'.
He called the WP's suggestions of alternative jobs for him, should he be defeated at the polls, a distraction from what is important to the lives of voters.
WP candidate Pritam Singh had said at a rally on Sunday that Mr Yeo could run for president, or take up the role of a Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) if he is not elected.
'I think he's mocking the presidency,' said Mr Yeo, adding that the Constitution does not allow for a PAP candidate to become an NCMP if he loses.
Such suggestions, he argued, drew attention away from the fact that an MP must first take care of the people who put him in Parliament - the voters.
Yet, while the PAP has unveiled detailed plans on what it will do for residents in the next five years, the WP has not done so, he added.
'I don't think it's fair of them to expect voters in Aljunied to vote them in first (before) they'll tell residents what they are going to do. So I think it's a deliberate effort at distraction,' he said.
As the May 7 Polling Day nears, the PAP's Aljunied team members also revealed their secrets on how they keep themselves going through the hustings.
Mr Yeo said he eats more porridge than normal, as it helps to settle the stomach. He also avoids heaty food.
With his schedule of daily walkabouts and house visits, he tries to catch 40 winks whenever he can, in the car or in his office.
Team-mate Mrs Lim, on the other hand, believes in herbal remedies.
'Lots of catnaps and some ginseng. And sort of little bits of food now and then,' she said.
By Cassandra Chew
FOREIGN Minister George Yeo said yesterday he believes many voters in Aljunied GRC are still undecided on who they will choose on May 7.
'It's still a tough battle,' he said when asked by reporters to give an assessment of the People's Action Party (PAP) campaign against the Workers' Party (WP) in Aljunied, six days into the hustings.
In fact, he said he met a voter yesterday who said he had never studied the election manifestos more carefully and extensively, to help him decide.
'I think this is good, because for there to be a good democracy, we need a population which is interested in the detailed issues,' said Mr Yeo, who is leading the PAP's five-member team in Aljunied.
He thought the level of maturity among voters today was 'the best so far', compared to previous elections.
This is because younger voters are better educated, better travelled, and participate fully in social media, where information is easily available, he said.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong also lent his support to Mr Yeo's team - comprising Cabinet minister Lim Hwee Hua, Mr Zainul Abidin Rasheed, Madam Cynthia Phua and new face Ong Ye Kung - at a walkabout in Kaki Bukit ward.
But Mr Yeo made it clear that the battle for hearts and minds was 'a battle that we have to fight for ourselves'.
He called the WP's suggestions of alternative jobs for him, should he be defeated at the polls, a distraction from what is important to the lives of voters.
WP candidate Pritam Singh had said at a rally on Sunday that Mr Yeo could run for president, or take up the role of a Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) if he is not elected.
'I think he's mocking the presidency,' said Mr Yeo, adding that the Constitution does not allow for a PAP candidate to become an NCMP if he loses.
Such suggestions, he argued, drew attention away from the fact that an MP must first take care of the people who put him in Parliament - the voters.
Yet, while the PAP has unveiled detailed plans on what it will do for residents in the next five years, the WP has not done so, he added.
'I don't think it's fair of them to expect voters in Aljunied to vote them in first (before) they'll tell residents what they are going to do. So I think it's a deliberate effort at distraction,' he said.
As the May 7 Polling Day nears, the PAP's Aljunied team members also revealed their secrets on how they keep themselves going through the hustings.
Mr Yeo said he eats more porridge than normal, as it helps to settle the stomach. He also avoids heaty food.
With his schedule of daily walkabouts and house visits, he tries to catch 40 winks whenever he can, in the car or in his office.
Team-mate Mrs Lim, on the other hand, believes in herbal remedies.
'Lots of catnaps and some ginseng. And sort of little bits of food now and then,' she said.
